I have a hard time envisioning the Rams having much success at all against our defense, especially without Amendola, I'm pretty sure Smith can handle Brandon Gibson, and thats pretty much all they have right now. They barely use Givens and Quick. Jackson looks terrible this year and our run D is best in the league.

The only edge they have on us is kicker. They;re gonna be kicking alot of 50+ field goals next week.

It all depends on whether or not we can protect the football. Our defense on paper is more than enough to handle the Rams offense. But the Rams have a pretty solid defense themselves. They are going to bring the pressure and try to knock around Tannehill. I think it's going to be a very physical game. But like I said, if we protect the football, and win the turnover battle, I think we'll win the game. I think Philbin is going to be especially motivated to prove that he was the right choice for the Dolphins, and that they aren't missing anything with Fisher. I expect a close one.

Side note for this game, I'll be going to this game all the way from Cali with a couple of friends that are Rams fans. Anyone who lives in Miami know what is there to do out there? Any advice is appreciated trying to have a fun weekend. I'll be in Miami from Thursday until Monday to enjoy everything Miami has to offer. Thanks guys!

The Clevelander and Nikki Beach! I had alot of fun at both places. I think the other club was called Mansion.

It really breaks down to any given Sunday. We lost to the Cards, and the Rams beat them handedly. And the Cards have a good Defense as well. Granted, that was a rival game. I think its either gonna be us blowing them out or a very close game til the end. I'm feeling blow out. Not to mention the Rams are pretty awful on the road.

I'm not here to be a trouble maker, I just enjoy the perspective of the upcoming opponents' fans each week. But I have to ask, what have you seen to think this could be a blow out? Last year we (The Rams) were a bad road team. Shoot, we didn't fare much better at home but this is *not* last year's Rams.

Except for being jobbed by a hometown time keeper in DET we should be 4-1. CHI beat us but not nearly as badly as the score would make one believe. The score was 10-6 in the 4th and, with all due respect, I think both of those games are tougher match ups than the one we'll have this Sunday in MIA.

Your 'phins may well win on Sunday, but I don't see this Rams team getting blown out. Hoping for a clean game with no injuries on either side.

Just wishful thinking honestly, or a gut feeling. Those are usually wrong though.
Miami is the number one rush D in the league, and have the leagues leading WR in Brian Hartline(atleast last week, i dunno now, to lazy to check), along with the number 1 center. What makes you think your previous match up's are tougher then us? Yeah we should be 4-1 as well. But we both aren't.

Agreeed that MIA has been tough to run on to this point in the season but just off the top of my head you haven't really faced any power running teams, have you? (Not saying we are at this point)

I think they can be passed on however. Having Amendola out is definitely not in our favor but I believe we can execute enough of a possession type passing game to make up for the lack of production on the ground.

This whole thing though works back to my original assumption that a blow out is not likely. Both teams play good D and the Rams have shown marked improvement each week. I think a hard fought, low scoring defensive battle is more likely, perhaps coming down to special teams. If this is indeed the case, I like our chances. It should be fun to watch.

The Houston Texans in week 1 and we were able to slow down Arian Foster, holding him to 3 ypc.

Cincy, the Jets, Houston are all teams that classify as "power run teams". They completely dominated Oakland's ground attack too; McFadden was held to 22 yards on 11 carries.

Jackson isn't getting anything on the ground this Sunday. St. Louis is going to have to throw to win, and I'm not sure they can, especially without Amendola.

All of those teams are between 25th and 32nd in the NFL in Rushing. The only team Miami face with a solid rushing attack was Houston.

We will shut them all down, and be planning to do it all week. Stack the box, put the game in the QB's hands and hit him, he tends to get banged up quick but keep playing..

They have to get pressure on the QB fast, our secondary is to weak... That means a crowded line and a hard time running..

This will be an easy game for us especially with no Amondola.
In fact we might score more points than there are people in the stands.

You need to have some "power" to be a "power run team".

BTW...interesting stat...Patriots are averaging 165yds a game on the ground

Miami does need to take that next step as a team. Putting teams away early and letting the defense pin their ears back. The Cincy game was a pretty lackluster performance. Finishing teams and breaking their spirit.

Good stat but Darren McFadden and Shone Greene are also pretty good backs.

I think the next two weeks are very good match-ups for us. The Rams and the jests both don't throw the ball exceptionally well. And our run D stacks up with anyone in the league. Plus Tannehill keeps improving every week.

Last year we (The Rams) were a bad road team

I don't think you guys have won on the road this year either. Have you?

The Dolphins helped give them their current rankings.

Welcome. I Think it will be a close game like the Phins last three games. Since Marino retired, every time the Dolphins have taken a step forward, they take two steps back. Losing to the Rams would feel like three steps in the wrong direction after beating the Bengals on the road.

I'm very happy with Philbin, but I hope Fisher realizes by the end of the game that he picked the harder rebuilding project.

who said anything about a blowout?

I just think we're the better team. And i think the Rams are a good young team, but I like our offense a whole lot better than yours. Defenses are both good, you have the edge in the secondary and we have the edge up front. And your kicker is better.

Without Amendola you're gonna struggle to move the ball.

I can play the woulda shoulda game too, because Miami most definitely should be 4-1 too.
Many analysts have said the same on TV.
We've outplayed 4 out of 5 teams this year.

I'm betting that if the Rams win, it will be because we shot ourselves in the foot....again!

I was watching one of the NFL shows the other day and the whole panel of analysts seemed to agree that Steven Jackson has nothing left in the tank, and the numbers show that. So this will actually be our easiest matchup against the run yet. We shut down Foster and McFadden already, and haven't allowed a 15 yard run yet.

No, not yet. We blew a great opportunity in DET and folded in the 4th against CHI. But I think both of those teams present offensive challenges MIA cannot match. Also, as mentioned previously, our D really has stepped in in recent weeks, giving up only 16 points in the last two games combined.

HaHa called for a blowout early in the discussion. I agree, we'll miss Amendola but I'm expecting a combination of Pettis and S. Smith to fill in at the slot and Givens is quietly (and painfully slowly) becoming a bigger part of our offense.

I question your edge up front however. Obviously your OL is better than ours but I think our DL compares very well. I know that C. Wake is a stud but it's hard not to believe that C. Long and R. Quinn deserve some mention in that conversation as well. You're probably also familiar with one of our DTs? K. Langford?

Sticking to my prediction of a low scoring defensive battle.

Hey BigRamFan, thanks for joining in our discussion. Looks like Las Vegas agrees with you, the O/U for the game is 38 and the Dolphins are favored by 3.5. The O/U is the lowest of any game to be played this week. By the way, this is the first game the Dolphins have been favored this year.

We're a bit excited around here, the Dolphins look like they can play with anyone and "knock on wood" we finally have a franchise QB. It's been 12 years since Dan the Man retired.

This game could very well come down to turnovers..........we've already given away two games this year and lost any chance against the Texans becasue of them. That being said, I think it's the Dolphins game to lose. I predict the Dolphins will put the Rams away by mid 4th and win by 2 scores.

I appreciate the civility here...even if I don't agree with your prediction. I am interested to see how our offense reacts to the absence of Amendola and excited to see how your rookie QB handles what I expect to be fierce pressure from our front four. I know that Pouncey has had a highly effective year but if I recall correctly (please correct me if I'm wrong) due to injury and/or a scheme change J. Long has struggled a bit. The R. Quinn vs. J. Long match up could be a good one.

On the other side is the rookie J. Martin starting?

J Martin is starting. Long due to a knee injury suffered the last week of training camp has not been stellar. I think he's given up about a sack a game going back to the injury.

Should add an interesting twist. Obviously I like C. Long on the rookie T but I expect Martin will get plenty of help from a TE. That could also limit your options. To this point in the season I would say providing coverage of the opponents' tight end has been a weakness for us.

I know it's a big "if" but if we can limit R. Bush this could be a very low scoring game. An earlier posted said Vegas has the O/U at 38. I like the under.

Our RB Thomas is our best pass blocking RB. If he can't go this week due to a concussion, it means someone else will need to step up on those 3rd downs. Miami doesn't use a lot of max protect with TEs. The backs are usually there to help out. That's a big concern going into this week.

Ahhh, I was unaware of that. I guess I need to do a better job with my homework. Either way I'm very excited about seeing my first game at Sun Life, should be a good one!

I've seen Bush do a decent job at picking up blitz.

Can he play every down? If Thomas can't go, I'd say put Lane back there. Miller is a threat to run but he scares me in pass protection.

Yes I'm familiar with Kendall Langford and I honestly never thought he was anything special.
I believe you guys overpayed for him.
Our starting defensive tackles right now are lights out. Randy Starks is the best tackle in the NFL this year. You made another good point that our O-line is more capable of holding the Ram rush than your line is in stopping our D-line.

we have got to win this one..

I so do not want to hear that we should have got Jeff Fisher... just saying

but who do you guys have on your O-line to stop Wake and Starks?
Long may have struggled a bit this year but at least the guys on our line have Pro Bowl level talent. I can't even name most of the Rams linemen except for Saffold. Not sure if you still have Jason Smith because he's a bust for sure.

And I know for a fact that Long and Quinn didnt generate too much pass rush until they played the lowly Cardinals (the worst line in football)

both teams have 15 sacks and 8 interceptions.
But we're better at stopping the run.

It's on the offensive side of the ball where I think we have a decided advantage.

Bush, Miller and Thomas can pound the rock.
hartline and Bess are playing the best football of their careers.
Miami has the better offensive line.

Rams have a huge advantage at kicker.
Carpenter has lost us games this year.

Our OL is definitely a patchwork bunch but and we have struggled in both pass pro and run blocking with just the OL. However, our coaches have schemed very well and provided additional protection in the passing game. It does limit us offensively but I think we can keep Bradford clean again this week.

Having Pro Bowl talent and playing to that potential are completely different issues. While no sane person would question J. Long's career stats Pro Football Focus has him graded out as the 43rd OT in the league this year.

As for our OL Saffold is injured (again) and J. Smith now plays for the Jets. But if you believe that C. Long and Quinn just showed up last week you haven't been watching much football this year. Quinn is in the top 5 in the league in sacks and Long leads the league in QB pressures. With Jenkins/Finnegan roaming the field sometimes a pressure is better than a sack. Should be fun to watch either way.

No I'm being serious. What did Quinn and Long combine for during the first 4 weeks? 3 sacks? and then they played the Cardinals.
I'm really not that scared. You guys may very well sack Tannehill 3 or 4 times but we might get Bradford 5 times.
Long and Quinn are high-motor players, but I don't feel like we're playing against the '85 Bears defense by any stretch.

And Jake Long has been a slow starter every season with the Dolphins, but in the end he always reaches the Pro Bowl. And Pouncey has graded out as the number 1 center in the NFL.
Martin and Jerry have performed well so far.
So our line is far superior to yours.